


Charlene

by Fabrisse



Category: The Librarian (Movies), The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Beginnings, Gen, Guardians - Freeform, Librarians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 15:24:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5461415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fabrisse/pseuds/Fabrisse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charlene's backstory and how she first came to work for The Library.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charlene

**Author's Note:**

  * For [paranoidangel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/paranoidangel/gifts).



"We did all of that for a milking stool?" Charlene's jacket was still smoking, and she was rubbing antiseptic into the wound on her calf.

The Librarian, Hawksmoor, said, "The stool of the great Pythia at Delphi is not a milking stool. It's a magical object of…" He stared at the two objects they'd brought back, one of which was a plain wooden three legged stool. "Well, to be fair, we also got the rock." 

"Is it always like this?" 

"No, sometimes it's actually dangerous." He started to chuckle.

Charlene glared at him for a moment and then her full-throated laughter joined his.

***  
She'd been born in Japan two years after the war ended. Her father was a US officer, her mother the French girl he'd wooed in the European theater. Her ayah was a Malaysian born Indian woman, and by the time they left Japan when Charlene was three, she spoke all five of the languages represented in her household.

Her father moved up in his career and was assigned as the military attaché in Tokyo. By the time they moved back to Japan when she was twelve, she'd added German and Korean to her language list, and the schools her mother insisted she attend, rather than the American DoD ones, had taught her Latin. It just seemed natural that she'd choose Ancient Greek as an elective.

The thing which really made her stand out from the other girls at her schools, though, was her deep calm. She did well at her academic subjects almost without thinking about it, but so did several of her friends. But none of them had her ability to be still, to contemplate. 

Her friend Sherry had remarked about it once. "Sometimes you just go so quiet, like the world's either gone away or there's only one thing in it to think about."

Charlene had made a flippant remark back at her and they'd walked arm-in-arm to their next class, but Charlene thought of that as the beginning of hiding. Some of the boys took judo or even karate; she took Aikido and Kyudo and already held a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Her ayah taught her yoga, and her mother knew Savate.

By the time she went to Radcliffe at seventeen, Charlene knew she wasn't going to be happy with arranging formal dinner parties and talking about the latest novels. Too many of her classmates were looking to do just that, getting MRS degrees by batting their eyes at Harvard boys. It wasn't that Charlene didn't date, but she was more likely to be seen with a boy from MIT or even Tufts just because they could talk about something other than money.

While most of the people who graduated with her were protesting the war in Vietnam and taking drugs, Charlene was looking for fulfilling work, a life calling. And to keep herself from ripping some of those vapid little 'Cliffies to shreds, she continued to meditate and practice her katas.

Work was not easy to find after graduation. Too many industries would only hire men for the interesting jobs, and she had no desire to become a glorified geisha in an office. The day she became so discouraged that she was actually thinking of taking a job she'd been offered as a tour guide, an invitation appeared under the door of her one room fifth floor walk up inviting her to apply for a position at the Library.

***  
"No, Floyd, absolutely not." Charlene had heard the deep voice clearly through the thick walls. "She's a woman."

Floyd shook his head. "A guardian of the opposite sex to the Librarian was normal right up until the French Revolution. Admittedly, there were more lady librarians from 1400-1750 than at any period since Hypatia died, but…"

"Enough. I won't have a twenty year old girl who looks as if a twig could snap her responsible for the safety of artifacts in transit."

The door in front of Charlene opened and she said, "Why not? I have terrific organizational skills."

"I'm certain you do, Miss." 

Charlene thought it _might_ have been possible to sound more condescending, but it would probably take the engineering degree her first boyfriend had just completed to pack it in. 

The Librarian continued. "The position is one which would take you to places you've barely heard of."

"Good."

"You'll be interacting with people from foreign cultures."

"That's nothing new."

The man's eyes flashed. "Frankly, you'd be expected to be able to defend the objects, me, and yourself in that order, and _you_ would blow over in a stiff breeze."

Charlene smiled with absolutely no mirth behind it. "Oh, I doubt that."

Floyd giggled. "You could try her, Hawksmoor."

"Yes, Hawksboor, you could try me."

He looked toward the heavens and sighed theatrically, "This is too much."

"What's too much?" An older gentleman appeared from deep within the banks of books. He smiled at her. "You must be Charlene. I'm Judson, head librarian."

Charlene said, "It's nice to meet you. You mean he isn't in charge?" she said, point to Hawksmoor.

Judson said, "He only thinks he is, though, to be fair, he is an active librarian and in the field… well, in the field you'll be in charge. Want the job?"

"Judson that's not…"

"Put a cork in it, Hawksmoor." Judson and Charlene looked at each other and grinned. "Jinx."

Judson continued. "I understand. You miss Newton's protection."

"Mister Newton was a…" Hawksmoor realized three sets of eyes were boring into him with nearly identical expressions. "Well, he's no longer here."

"No, he isn't," Judson said quietly. "And had it not been for his sacrifice, the Serpent Brotherhood would have gotten their hands on Nostradamus' mirror." He turned to Charlene. "The pay is enough to afford an apartment in which you can actually swing a cat, which as you know isn't easy in Manhattan. You'll get reasonable expenses -- frankly, even some unreasonable ones -- while you're in the field…"

"Keep your receipts," Floyd interjected.

"And it will be the ride of your life. Being a Guardian to the library is a sacred trust and the most rewarding life's work someone can have," Judson finished. "It's dangerous, but the best things in life are. Do you want the job?"

Charlene's jaw dropped. "You have Nostradamus' mirror?"

"Look around you, Charlene," Judson said.

"Then that's the genuine Ark of the Covenant? I thought it had to be a reproduction."

"Come close enough to examine it," Judson said.

Charlene practically plastered herself to the glass taking in the details. She turned to Floyd. "I assume personnel requires me to sign some paperwork?"

Judson rested a hand on her shoulder. "Atta girl. When you come in tomorrow, we'll show you the training area. You're weak in European sword techniques, but Excalibur can help you with that."

Charlene grinned at him. "Of course, it can." She turned to Floyd. "Where do I sign?"

Hawksmoor said, "I have some say in this."

The other three looked at him pityingly. Judson said, "The Library selected her, and I find its choice admirable. Go play at an annex until you can behave like a reasonable human being."

Floyd said, "Stay away from the Portland Annex. Jenkins still hasn't forgiven you for spilling that vial of crocodile tears he was working with."

The three of them went to Floyd's office. It took time; Charlene read the fine print on every single document. But she was still smiling widely with each stroke of her pen.

***  
Judson looked at them. "Charlene, it looks like your first adventure was successful."

"Doubly so," Hawksmoor said. "We not only got the Pythia's seat, but the Omphalos of Greece as well."

"Congratulations. We only need the Omphalos of the Amazon for the complete set."

"Are they like the cruets and salt shakers of ancient artifacts?" Charlene asked.

Judson smiled. "Exactly, though we have plenty of cruets and salt shakers in storage as well."

Charlene looked around and slipped a zippered leather case from her purse. "By the way, where's Floyd? I saved all my receipts."

**Author's Note:**

> ## Charlene in her Guardian Years
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Image from Rolling Stone's ratings of SNL performers.


End file.
